Sports Daypop Archives

Tyronn Lue is stepping down as head coach of the Cavaliers temporarily to deal with his ongoing illness, which has caused him to miss three games and impacted him for virtually the entire season. Chief assistant Larry Drew will take over for Lue, beginning with Monday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. In a statement released Monday morning by the Cavs, Lue, 40, made it clear that he intends to return this season. He said he has “had chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep, throughout the year.” Lue also said in the statement “After many conversations with our doctors and Koby (Altman) and much thought given to what is best for the team and my health, I need to step back from coaching for the time being and focus on trying to establish a stronger and healthier foundation from which to coach for the rest of the season.” Lue has been examined repeatedly by Cleveland Clinic doctors for months and undergone a battery of tests, but there is still no diagnosis. He did not return for the second half of Saturday’s win over the Bulls; previously he missed the second half of a loss to Orlando on Feb. 6 and the entire game against the Bulls on Dec. 21. ...Read more

Rumors ofPenny Hardaway returning home to the Memphis Tigers have proven true; the school has announced they have reached a deal with their former star player to become the new head coach of their men’s basketball team. Hardaway replaces former coachTubby Smith, who was fired last week. Penny was the third overall pick in 1993 and played in the NBA from 1993 to 2008 with four different teams including Orlando, Phoenix, New York and Miami. The 46-year-old, four-time NBA All-Star will be officially announced as head coach on Tuesday when a formal press conference is scheduled to be held. ...Read more

The Loyola Chicago Ramblers are headed to the Sweet 16 after beating Tennessee in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Saturday in Dallas. No. 11 Loyola pulled off the 63-62 upset against No. 3 Tennessee at the American Airlines Center. The Ramblers were coming off of a first round victory against No. 6 Miami. Loyola faces No. 7 Nevada or No. 2 Cincinnati on Thursday in the Sweet 16 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. ...Read more

UMBC (formally known as the University of Maryland, Baltimore County) became college basketball’s ultimate Cinderella story when they pulled off the most stunning upset in tournament history; they are the first 16 seed to upend a No. 1, beating Virginia 74-54. Virginia had been the best team in the nation for the majority of the regular season, entering the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed after going 31-2 this season, including 20-1 in ACC competition. However, UMBC’s senior guard Jairus Lyles led the team to victory over Virginia by scoring 28 points. ...Read more

Marlins third baseman Martin Prado has suffered a setback in his recovery from right knee surgery and will open the 2018 season on the disabled list. Manager Don Mattingly stated that Prado wasn’t expected to be ready for Opening Day, but the team had initially hoped he could join them by an April 9 home series against the Mets. The latest news on his knee, however, will push Prado’s return date further back. Hamstring and knee injuries limited Prado to 37 games last year, and he has yet to play in spring training. In his place, the Marlins will turn to one of their top organizational prospects, Brian Anderson, to man the hot corner early in the year. Prado is still owed a total of $28.5MM over the next two seasons. ...Read more

Floyd Mayweather is serious about making the move into MMA. The retired boxer confirmed that he plans to start training with UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley soon. “We talked a couple of times, so we’re going to start working out real soon,” Mayweather said, adding that it’s going to be “a little difficult” to adjust his game and that he may require several months of training. Mayweather is an unbeaten five-weight world champion boxer. His 10th round knockout win over Conor McGregor in 2017 preserved his professional boxing record of 50 victories from 50 bouts. However, the 41-year-old will said he knows fully well how “difficult” the transition to MMA will be. ...Read more

Wide receiver Danny Amendola is leaving the New England Patriots to sign a two-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. Amendola is the second wide receiver to commit to signing with the Dolphins on Tuesday. Wide receiverAlbert Wilsoncommitted to signing a three-year, $24 million deal with the team earlier Tuesday. Both players will help to fill the void created when Jarvis Landry is traded to the Cleveland Browns. Amendola, 32, had accepted a pay cut in each of the past three offseasons to remain with the Patriots, and has developed the reputation as a clutch performer in the playoffs. Amendola finished with 61 catches for 659 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season, while adding 26 catches for 348 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs. He was also the team’s primary punt returner in 2017. ...Read more

Stephen Curry will miss at least another week because of his troublesome right ankle, which he re-injured last Thursday against San Antonio. The Warriors said Tuesday their two-time MVP would be re-evaluated in a week, and will sit out the next four games. Curry rolled his ankle driving left for a layup at the 9:38 mark of the first quarter in the win against the Spurs. ...Read more

Quarterback Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have agreed to a two-year deal worth $50 million. Brees will receive $27 million in guaranteed money and will include a no–trade clause. Reportedly, the team wasn’t allowed to use the franchise tag on Brees because of a clause in his contract . The 39-year old Brees will enter his 13th year with New Orleans in 2018. He threw for 4,334 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, while leading the Saints to the playoffs. He also set the NFL record for highest completion percentage in a season, completing 72% of his passes in 2017. The 11-time Pro Bowler has thrown for 4,000 or more yards every season since signing with the Saints. ...Read more

Former Redskins quarterback and free agent Kirk Cousins is expected to complete a three-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings worth an estimated $84 million to $86 million, according to sources Cousins’s contract with the Vikings would be fully or nearly fully guaranteed. The Vikings were considered the favorite to land Cousins, the top free agent quarterback on the market. Cousins’s pending deal with the Vikings is said to be worth a little more than $28 million per season, which would surpass the current NFL record for the highest average annual value of $27.5 million set by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s five-year, $137.5 million contract to re-sign with the 49ers. ...Read more